The prior art is already aware of vises in many different designs and configurations. Vises which are constructed for particular use in industry, are intended to be sturdy and accurate in holding workpieces, and some of the prior art vises accomplish these objectives, though they may do so with expensive and numerous parts, and parts which are difficult to manufacture.
An example of a prior art vise which is suitable for industrial use is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 3,306,604. In that example, the vise has a base piece with a separate post thereon and with a movable and clamping jaw slidable on the post for holding workpieces downwardly on the base piece. That vise differs from the one disclosed herein in that it has many more parts, and the parts are expensive and somewhat difficult to manufacture. Where the present invention utilizes many fewer parts in the complete vise, the vise is inherently more accurate in holding the workpiece, and of course it is less expensive to manufacture and more easily operated and maintained because of the fewer pieces required. Also, the present invention improves upon the prior art in providing a vise which exerts a maximum force on the workpiece for the accurate and secure holding of the workpiece. That is, the devise is of a sturdy construction, and, for its overall dimensions or size, it has optimum capacity, and in fact a capacity beyond that which is produced by prior art vises of similar overall dimensions.
Further, the present invention provides for an arrangement of V-blocks, such as only two blocks which can be utilized for accommodating workpiece sizes from only a fraction of an inch to multiples of an inch. In actuality, this is accomplished by utilization of only two V-blocks which can be simultaneously mounted on the vise for holding the very small parts, and one upper V-block can be removed when the workpiece is of a larger size. Still further, the V-blocks can be shifted on the base piece for accommodating particular positioning of workpieces, such as shouldered workpieces. The shifting or offsetting of the V-block on the workpiece also allows for more clearance for drill chucks or the like which are used in connection with the vise holding the workpiece which is being drilled.
Still further, the vise of this invention can be readily and easily positioned in the secure workpiece clamping position, and in fact only one screw needs to be maneuvered in order to clamp and release the workpiece when the vise is utilized for its maximum holding security in force.